campbell



(No Model.)

W. N. CAMPBELL. FLOUR SIFTER.

No. 310,791. Patented Jam-13,1885.

Wl'inesa PS 0 UNITED Snares Parana @rrrna.

& WESTLAKE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

FLOUR-SIFT'ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 310,791, dated January 13, 1885.

Application filed January 14, 18 4. (N0 model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM N. CAMPBELL, a citizen of the United States, and residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Flour-Sifters, which are fully set forth in the following specification, reference being h ad to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents a plan view of a sifter embodying my improvements; Fig. 2, a bottom plan view of the same; and Fig. 3, a vergical section of the same, taken on the line X X,

My invention relates to that class of sifters generally known in the market as hand sifters, and in which a rotary stirrer or agitator arranged over the sieve-bottom is revolved by hand.

The invention relates to the construction and arrangement of certain parts of the artiole, and I will proceed to describe in detail the construction and operation of a sifter embodyingmyimprovements, and willthen point out definitely in the claims the several improvements which I believe to be new and wish to protect by Letters Patent.

In the drawings, A represents a cylindrical case or receiver for the flour. It is preferably made somewhat in the form of a scoop at the top, and is provided at one side with a handle, B, the upper portion, 12, of which is eX tended inward over the top of the receptacle and to about the centerof the latter, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The lower end of the receptacle is provided with a sieve-bottom, 0, preferably of wire. This bottom is perfectly straight and horizontal, except at the edge, where there is a narrow section, 0, that is bent or curved up, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. This bottom may be fastened to the cylinder in any suitable way. In the drawings I have shown the edge held between the lower end of the receiver, the parts being swaged together to clamp and hold the edge of the sieve-bottom. The heater or agitator E is composed of radial arms 6, attached to a central hub, c, and projecting out therefrom horizontally, being bent up slightly at their.

outer ends to conform to the bend at the outer edge of the sieve-bottom, as shown in Fig. 8

of the drawings, and bent arms or strips 6 extend. upward and inward from the outer ends of these horizontal arms until they meet at the center over the hub. Preferably a single strip is extended from the end of one arm up over and down to the end of the corresponding'arm on the other side of the beater, and of course in this construction these strips cross each other at the central point, where they may be soldered together, and of course are soldered or in some other Way secured to the ends of the horizontal-arms. The hub c is provided with a threaded aperture adapted to receive the lower end of a shaft, F, this end having a short threaded section, f, which may be screwed into the threaded opening in the hub. The strips 0 are also perforated where they cross each other, to permit the shaft to be passed through them, and at the inner end of the extension b of the handle there is a perforation adapted to receive the shaft and form an upper support and bearing therefor. The shaft is provided with a crank-arm, f, by means of which it may be turned.

In arranging the parts for operation the beater is set into the bottom of the receiver, and the shaft is then passed down through the handle-extension and the bent strips to the hub into which it is screwed, and the end projecting below the hub passes down through a small bushing, G, set in the middle of the sieve-bottom, and constituting the lower bearing of the shaft. Obviously, when the shaft is turned into the hub to the end of the thread 011 its end, its further rotation will also rotate the agitator with it to produce the usual effeet in sifters of this kind.

Vhen it is desired to remove the agitator for packing or repairs or any purpose whatever, it is only necessary to take out the shaft by turning it backward until unscrewed from the hub, when of course it can be pulled up out of the receiver and the agitator then removed, if desired. A short spring, H, of any suitable form, is attached at one end to the inside of the receiver, and the other end extends inward and rests on the top of the bent strips 6*. The inner end of this springis perforated to permit the shaft to be passed down through it; or, if made of round wire, it has a small coil or eye at this end to accommodate the shaft. The spring is arranged with the end aflixed to the receiver somewhat higher than that which rests on the agitator, and its length, when free, is somewhat greater than the distance between the two points of contact, so that it will be lifted slightly from its normal position by the upper portion of the agitator, and so, when the parts are arranged in working position, as described above, this spring will operate to hold the agitator down in proper working position.

It will be seen that in this sifter Ihave provided a plain flat bottom, which is a desirable form, and at the same time prevents the accumulation of flour in the angle at the outer edge thereof by the short bend in the sievebottom and the corresponding bend in the outer ends of the agitator-arms. The agitator-shaft is upright and in position to be easily turned by the person using the sifter. In some respects the parts may be changed in construction and arrangement without materially modifying the improvements; hence I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself in all particulars to the special construction herein shown and described.

Having thus described my'invention, what I I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a flour-Sifter, a cylindrical receptacle, in combination with a straight horizontal sieve-bottom bent upward slightly at its outer edge, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a flour-sifter, a cylindrical receptacle, in combination with a straight horizontal sieve-bottom bent upward slightly at its edge, and an agitator the arms of which are straight, with a short upward bend at their extremities to conform to the bottom, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. A cylindrical receiver, A, in combination with the straight bottom (3, bent up at its edge, the straight agitator-arms e, bent upward slightly at their outer ends, the connecting-strips 6 and the shaft F, threaded at its lower end, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. The receiver A, in combination with the handle B, provided with an inward extension, I), in one piece therewith, the shaft F, agitator E, and bottom 0, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

WILLIAM N. CAMPBELL.

Witnesses:

W. G. CoRLIEs, A. M. Bnsr. A 

